Antislipping device



May 1946- J. KALNITZ 2,399,638

ANTISLIPPING DEVICE Filed March 15, 1945 INVENTOR Jszgn KALNlTlATTORNEYS Patented May 7, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AN TISLIPPING DEVICE Joseph Kalnitz, Buffalo, N. Y. Application March 13, 1945,Serial No. 582,484

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to an anti-slip foot attachment forpersonal use.

According to the present invention devices are provided which arereadily attached to or detached from a users feet and which, when worn,give the user safe and certain grip and traction on ice or othernormally slippery surfaces.

Among the advantages of the presently proposed device is the fact thatthe main support portions for the gripping elements are relativelyrigid, so as to eliminate any likelihood of relative movement, in ahorizontal plane between the gripping elements and the foot of thewearer, assuming the device is firmly secured to the foot. To furtherthe attainment of this relative stability and still produce a devicewhich may be worn with comfort and ease, the main body portion of thedevice has an oblique hinge which registers generally with the normalline along which the fore part of the human foot bends in normalwalking, particularly at about the time when a step is completed and thefoot is about ready to be raised and drawn forward for a subsequentstep. The general arrangement of the device of the present invention issuch that accurate fitting of the device to each individual foot size orshoe style is not essential and accordingly fewer dilferent sizes arerequired to round out a complete line.

Many other objects and advantages of the present invention will occur tothose skilled in this art from a consideration of the device set forthin detail herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawing. Whilespecific details of construction are shown by way of example, it is tobe understood that modifications and mechanical changes may be madewithout departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in theappended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of One form of the device of my inventionshown detached;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the attachment of Fig. 1 applied tothe foot of a user; and

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but with the users foot in a flexedposition.

In the several figures of the drawing, like characters of referencedenote like parts and the numeral l0 designates a base plate of metal orother material of sufficient strength and rigidity. The base plate Inconforms generally to that part of the human foot lying .behind the linealong which the fore part of the human foot flexes during walking orrunning. A complementary base plate portion II is shaped to conform gen-5 simply and effectively by erally to the remaining forward part of thehuman foot, and it is hinged to the base plate H! as at I2 in Fig. 1.The attachment shown in the drawing is for a users left foot andaccordingl the top edge as viewed in Fig. 1 will be the outer edge,while the lower edge will be the inneredge. It will, accordingly, benoted from Figgl that the axis of the hinge is disposedto extendsomewhat rearwardly across the foot from the inside to the outside.

The heel portion of the plate ill has riveted, spot-welded, or otherwisesecured thereto, a U- shaped plate I3, whose inner and outer marginaledges are provided with serrated or toothed flanges l4 and IS. Theforward part of base plate I!) and plate portion l I are similarlyprovided with U-shaped plates l8 and I9, respectively. The plates I 8and ill have toothed flanges 20 and 2!, respectively, and togetherprovide a more or less elliptical gripping portion for the sole of theusers foot.

For ready and secure attachment, strap elements are provided and thesemay be secured assembling them between the base portions l0 and H andthe U- shaped toothed elements. The front strap comprises merely astraight strap 24 having a buckle 25 at one end and a tongue portion atthe other, the medial portion of the strap being held be tween the solebase plate portion H and the toothed element Id. The strap 24 is merelybuckled across the toe portion of the foot of the user.

The rear strap means preferably comprises a strap portion 38 secured ata medial point between the base plate ill and the U-shaped heel elementE3. The strap element has loops SI and 32 at its opposite ends and asingle straight strap 33 is passed between both loops of the strapelement 30 as shown clearly in Fig. 2. The strap 33 likewise has abuckle 34 at one end and a tongue portion 35 at its other. The manner inwhich the strap elements 3!] and 33 are fastened about the lower portionof the ankle of the wearer is believed to be clearly illustrated inFigs. 2 and 3 and requires no further description. It will be noted, byreference to Figs. 2 and 3, that there is no fixed, necessaryrelationship between the location of strap 33 and the rear end of platel8 and toothed plate l3. Accordingly, no accurate fit is required andthe device could be secured firmly to a users foot with a considerablelack of registry between the rear end of the base plate In and the rearof the heel of the users shoe, either in one direction or the other.Obviously,

other fastener means than the tongue buckles illustrated may be employedwithout deviating from the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An anti-slipping footwear attachment comprising a plate contouredgenerally to conform to the heel and the rear part of the sole of ausers foot, a second plate having a horizontal hinge connection to thefirst plate at its forward end and contoured to conform to the remainingfront part of the sole, other plates secured against the bottoms of saidplates and having their marginal edges flanged downwardly and providedwith toothed anti-slip formations, and strap means first two plates andsaid 1 end forward, a second U-shaped plate secured to the forward endof the clamped between the other plates and having fastening means forsecurement about the foot of a user. 1

2. An anti-slipping footwear attachment comprising a plate to the heeland the rear part of the sole of users foot, a second plate having ahorizontal hinge connection to the first plate at its forward end andcontoured to conform to the remaining front part of the sole, a U-shapedplate secured,

to the heel portion of the first plate with its open end forward, asecond U-shaped plate secured to the forward end of the first plate withits open end forward, and a third U-shaped plate secured contouredgenerally to conform 0 bottoms of said first to said second plate withits open end rearward, said three U -shaped plates being secured to thebottoms of said first two plates and having their marginal edges flangeddownwardly and provided with anti-slip formations, and attaching devicesassociated with securement to the foot of a user.

3. An anti-slipping footwear attachment comprising a plate contouredgenerally to conform 0 to the heel and the rear part of the sole of ausers foot, a second plate having a horizontal hinge connection to thefirst plate at its forward 'end and contoured to conform to theremaining front part of the sole, a U-shaped plate secured to the heelportion of the first plate with its open first plate with its open endforward, and a third U-shaped plate secured to said second plate withits open end rearward, said three U-shaped plates being secured to thetwo plates and having their marginal edges flanged downwardly andprovided with anti-slip formations, and strap means clamped between thefirst two plates and said U- shaped plates and having fastening meansfor securement about the foot of a user.

JOSEPH KALNIT Z.

each of said plates for

